Jeu, Set et Match: Shikamaru Nara
by LBCwriter562
Summary: AU: Shikamaru Nara has just become a pro tennis player on the ATP Tour. Will he be able to become one of tennis' greats like the Legendary Sannin? Will Kiba being involved in his life improve or hurt his game ? Shika x Kiba, shounenai, yaoi
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **This is a story I've actually written before, but I took it down since it wasn't going the direction I envisioned it in and lost the passion to write for. However, as I keep watching tennis and finally caught up with the latest _Shippuden _manga, I've decided to try again with this story. So if you've seen this story before and wondered what happened to it, well here it is again, but will be more or less rewritten!

—

* * *

**Author's Note #2: **This story will be utilising Australian/Canadian English conventions!

—

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Shikamaru Nara and any other mentioned characters from _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, NOT ME.

—

* * *

_So much inspiration out there, yet so little time to write it all… _

—

* * *

**Prologue: **Tomorrow**, **I Become a Professional Tennis Player

* * *

_Tomorrow, I'm turning professional… _

Fifteen-year-old Shikamaru Nara was laying flat on a wooden bench on a tennis court at the Malibu Racquet Club. He had been waiting for the arrival of his father to pick him up to take him home. Dressed in his white-on-green striped Adidas warm-ups, the brunette had just finished another gruelling day of training at the club, preparing himself for the summer Australian hard-court season when he turned professional on the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tennis tour.

_I hope it won't be too troublesome for me to handle…_

Shikamaru let out a soft grunt while he mused. His dark chocolate eyes were fixated at the late December winter skies of Southern California. Patches of white, fluffy clouds were scattered amongst a mixture of orange and navy blue as the sun began to set. The future tennis pro couldn't help but to involuntarily shiver as the extremely cool sea breeze from the Pacific howled and brushed along his dry skin.

_Christ, where is he? He should've been here by now. It's getting pretty dark too… dude, it's troublesome, really…_

Shikamaru irritably grunted as he sat upright. He ran his somewhat calloused hands through his smooth and silky brunette locks that sported a very peculiar, yet unique, spiky ponytail on the back. He then slouched and laid his elbows on his thighs, letting his chin lay rest on his hands. A very irascible expression took over his façade for the moment as the oceanic breeze continued to caress his face. He gazed around at the grounds of the tennis club. Except for two senior citizens playing at the court furthest away from him, the area was practically deserted.

_I swear, he's always late when he has to get me here… only if I had my own car, I—_

_**HONK**_

_**HONK**_

The brunette's eyes were suddenly blinded as the bright, bluish HID headlights of a black Infiniti FX35 suddenly roared into the parking lot nearby.

"Come on son, let's go!" A fairly middle-aged man appeared from outside the driver's side window. He had a very strong resemblance to Shikamaru with the hair, but his tanned skin and a few scars he had on the right side of his face made him unique.

"Ugh, it's about time dad!" Shikamaru flatly but irritatingly yelled out. He grabbed his black Yonex tennis bag that contained all of his gear and slung the straps over his shoulders like a backpack. He then sauntered over towards the Infiniti as the breeze began to howl even harder. After lunging his bag into the backseat, Shikamaru opened the door and stepped into the crossover SUV, delving himself into the pleasure of having warm air caressing his skin, sinking into the heated leather seats. Yup, the lazy brunette was sure glad to get out of the cold that Malibu brought in during the winter.

Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku, drove out of the parking lot onto Pacific Coast Highway. After making a right onto Malibu Canyon Road, he pressed on the gas pedal harder as the road entered into the Santa Monica Mountains. The V6 engine can be heard roaring into the interior yet it still felt quiet and comfortable for both occupants, such as one would expect in a luxury vehicle.

"How was practice today?" Shikaku asked while sipping some White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks. "Did coach Asuma prepare you well for your upcoming tournaments down in Australia?"

"Well… I guess so and so…" Shikamaru lethargically replied. "Anyways, how come you're always so late to pick me up from the tennis club?"

"Well, it's not my fault that traffic from Downtown L.A. to the Westside is practically horrendous, son," Shikaku replied while fidgeting with the climate control buttons. It's true that Shikamaru's father must come from Downtown Los Angeles, working as an important accounting officer for a major bank headquartered in one of those tall skyscrapers.

"Couldn't you find a job in Woodland Hills or Sherman Oaks at least?" Shikamaru orally mused, trying to find the perfect station to listen to as he fidgeted with the radio. "I mean, it would be less troublesome of a commute for you instead of leaving the house at 5am Monday through Friday just to beat traffic on the 101."

Shikaku couldn't help but to release a small chuckle at his son's remark. "I wish it were that easy, but it would be pretty troublesome on my part to find a position that I currently have, plus with the pay I'm getting, it's providing this family a nice place to live and our daily needs."

_Hmmm, well that is true... _

The lazy brunette stared off into space as the road they were travelling on changed into Las Virgenes Road after passing Mulholland Highway. It was true on what Shikaku had just spoken. Since his position earned him a very high salary, the Naras were able to live comfortably in a very nice Spanish-style hillside home in the affluent city of Calabasas, located in the western part of the San Fernando Valley. This, in turn, branded Shikamaru with the term _Valley Kid_. His family were also able have three Infiniti automobiles at their disposal (an FX35, G37 coupe, and an M sedan), all the luxurious things one could think of possessing, and were able to afford to give their only son private tennis lessons from a former Roland Garros (French Open) Champion so that he could become a profession player in the future… which would be the next day.

After an inordinate amount of time of silence, Shikaku broke the cycle as he drove onto the Eastbound 101 Freeway. "Excited about going to the land _Down Under_?"

Even though Shikamaru wasn't totally in the mood for conversation and would rather just sleep until they got home, he decided to answer it anyways. "I guess... but since my first tournament will start on the 31st, I won't be able to spend New Years Eve and Day with you and mom and all of my friends and family here."

"Well son… you'll have to get use to that if you plan on staying on the tour for awhile… and besides, your mom and I will come down and see you when you're in Melbourne and qualify to be in the main draw at the Australian Open."

_Right… if I can even make it through the qualifying rounds… sheesh…_

Shikamaru continued to look upon the twinkling of lights of houses outside the window on the San Fernando Valley floor as he mused to himself.

_Oh dude, this is gonna be more troublesome than I thought. _

—

* * *

After about a twenty-minute drive from Malibu, through the Santa Monica Mountains, and barely into the San Fernando Valley, Shikaku and Shikamaru both pulled up onto the fairly long brick-driveway of their modest hillside home after exiting the freeway and going through a few side streets. When the car was put into park and the ignition was shut off, Shikamaru indolently exited out of the vehicle and immediately shivered as the chilly air blew onto his formally warmth skin.

_Damn, it's chilly… _

He retrieved his tennis gear from the back and closed the door of the vehicle before making his way towards the elaborate front porch, passing by the front yard decorated with various deer statues, a variety of flowers, and a koi pond. When Shikaku finally unlocked the grand, iron-cast front doors, warmth immediately once again welcomed Shikamaru as he entered into the grand foyer. Shikamaru dropped his tennis bag onto the floor and began to gaze around the home.

The Nara residence was very grand, spacious, and heavily decorated. Since the family is from Konoha (except for Shikamaru, whom was born in California in nearby Camarillo), there were a lot of traditional oriental décor that either freely stood in the room or hugged the walls. Such examples include the various tiger and deer statues that roamed about, different kind of scrolls, fans, murals of important landmarks in Konoha (including Hokage Mountain), samurai swords, charms, ANBU masks, oriental rugs, and so much more. Aside from the traditional, there was also a modern flavour present. Such included the variety of furniture that was bought from IKEA, modern lighting, European style bookcases, ultra sleek electronic gadgets, and several other twenty-first century items. Although the house was immensely huge, the amount of furniture, items, and decorations present inside made the house smaller and cosier than one would expect inside big, grand, expensive homes… especially those in Orange County.

"Shikaku? Shikamaru? Is that you guys?" A woman's voice heeded out from the direction of the kitchen.

"Yeah, mom. We're home," Shikamaru replied.

"Okay good, because dinner is ready."

The lazy brunette meandered towards the kitchen while Shikaku took a stroll towards the home office in the den.

"You go on ahead, son. There's some things I need to check in my office."

"Yeah, sure, whatever…" Shikamaru continued his way towards the kitchen as a fairly strong aroma began to penetrate his senses.

_Hmmm… it kinda smells like… _

He deeply inhaled the scent.

_Spaghetti and… _

He took in another deep whiff.

_I'd guess breadsticks? Heh, must be Italian night… _

Shikamaru deduced correctly as he entered the spacious kitchen. His eyes captured a freshly cooked bowl of spaghetti with sauce in the middle of the grand maple wooded table, complete with piping hot breadsticks on the side. In addition, Shikamaru saw a woman in the kitchen, setting down all of the plates, utensils, and drinks for dinner. Indeed she was Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino. She had a stocky frame and was of average height at about 5'8" and had very fair skin. She too had long and smooth brunet hair like her son, but was longer and she kept it straight down.

"Hi son!" Yoshino said as she walked up to her son, placing a quick kiss onto his cheek. "How was your tennis training today?"

Shikamaru gave a fairly riled sigh as he settled himself down at his usual place at the dinner table. "The same ol', same ol' I guess." He began to fill his plate with the pasta and breadsticks.

"Oh, well that's nice to hear, honey," Yoshino cheerily replied as she began to fill her plate. "By the way, where's your dad at?"

"Oh, he's in the—"

"I'm right here, honey," Shikaku suddenly appeared behind Yoshino, giving her a quick kiss before settling down at the table, filling up his own plate.

The Nara family initially began to eat their dinner in an aura of silence. Just before they could finish up, Yoshino decided to break the cycle. "So Shikamaru, are you excited about becoming a professional tennis player come tomorrow?"

_This must've been the ump-teenth time I've been asked this question…_

Shikamaru simply just shrugged at the notion. "Eh… I guess it's all right… I mean there's no need to be troublesome about it and make it such a big deal and—"

"Son, we know you're just trying to downplay this whole thing," Shikaku cut in. "But we just wanna let you know that we are very proud of you. You'll be travelling around the world by yourself most of the time. You are truly becoming a man, son."

"That's right dear! We are very proud!" Yoshino added.

_Wow, really? Just travelling around the world by myself makes me a man? How troublesome indeed. _

"Eh… I guess…" Shikamaru unenthusiastically replied before finishing all of the food on his plate. "Well, I'm gonna go to my room and take a shower and get ready for tomorrow." Shikamaru stood upright before heading out of the kitchen.

"Okay, honey," Yoshino began to grab all of the empty plates and glasses. "Oh, I've also packed your things for your trip down to Australia. Be sure to check to make sure everything you need is in there. And also, make sure you head to bed early. Your flight to Brisbane departs at 8am _SHARP_!"

"Okay, mom…" Slothfully replying as he took his tennis bag, Shikamaru made his ascent up the grand circular staircase. After making a right at the top of the stairs and a left out of the upstairs game room, Shikamaru opened up the double doors in front of him to enter his elephantine-sized bedroom. Inside, a big plasma TV was affixed on the wall at one side of the room, with the king sized bed at the opposite corner. Additional furnishings included a sofa, several dressers, a fish tank, a couple of nightstands, and a mini office of his own where his iMac and MacBook Pro rested upon. On the walls of the room, several Konohan décor hugged upon the walls amongst the several anime and manga posters and life size posters of tennis legends John Jiraiya, Steffi (Stefanie) Tsunade, and Hans Orochimaru. They were also known as the Legendary Sannin of Tennis as the three hailed from Konoha, despite the fact that Tsunade obtained German citizenship in the middle of her career, while Orochimaru defected for Brazil as he had a conflict with the governing tennis body of Konoha.

After closing the doors behind him, Shikamaru began to strip off all of his sweaty clothes, revealing a fair skinned, sweaty yet lean teenage body. One could see that defined abs was beginning to form around his abdominal region. The same can be said for his arms as defined muscles showed when he would flex, thanks to all of the tennis training he had gone through over the years.

After spending about fifteen minutes in the shower, Shikamaru turned the running water off. As he opened the glass door of the stall, which had been covered up with fog, steam from the hot shower escaped quickly from the enclosure and travelled its way around the bathroom, slightly fogging up the mirrors by the sink. He grabbed the green cotton towel off of the nearby rack and began to dry off his body before wrapping it around his lean waist.

Managing to blow-dry his hair and brush his teeth right after, the still undressed lazy brunet made his way towards the dresser that was adjacent to his bed. Pulling out a pair of green boxers and his deer covered pyjamas, Shikamaru took off the towel and began to dress himself up. He involuntarily shivered as the air of the room caressed his exposed crotch and rump.

Finishing applying on lotion to his arms and legs, Shikamaru went to check out his green Adidas duffle bag that contained all of the personal items and clothing for his trip down to Australia. When he opened the bag, his eyes captured the large amounts of sweaters, beanies, scarves, sweat pants, and long sleeved clothing that were ideal for winter conditions… except there was one problem…

"When it's winter time here… then it's summer time in Australia… ugh, mom, can't you get it right?"

Shikamaru annoyingly sighed as he began to discard all of the winter clothing in the bag and replaced them with more appropriate summer time clothing, especially since Australian summers were notoriously known to be extremely hot.

_Hopefully I've packed all of the right things in here… oh yeah! _

Shikamaru grabbed his green Hurley boardshorts and placed them into the bag.

_I'll need that for swimming as I hear Australia has some really awesome beaches. _

After completing the correction of clothes to pack and packing up his MacBook Pro laptop, Shikamaru decided to do other various random tasks in his room like checking his e-mail, surfing the Internet, and watching TV until the clock read 11:30pm.

_Hmm, I better head off to bed then. Have a long ass flight ahead for me. _

With that thought completed, Shikamaru turned off all of his electronics in the room, dimmed the lights, and tucked himself into the thick comforters of his bed. In order to aid his sleep, Shikamaru had his iPod with him to listen to until he fell asleep.

_Tomorrow, I become a pro tennis player… hope it won't be too troublesome for me… _

**—**

**

* * *

**

Shikamaru and his parents were inside of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, currently waiting for Asuma Sarutobi, Shikamaru's coach. The terminal was not as busy as it usually is, being it the day before New Year's Eve. Despite such, the terminal was buzzing with activity with the PA going off constantly to remind passengers of departing and arriving flights, many international patrons coming all over the world either to visit or leave Los Angeles, people asking for directions on how to get to a certain gate, or just those wondering around, trying to find something to do amid the bustling environment.

Shikamaru took out his tri-band Blackberry phone to check the time.

_It's already 7:35 and our flight leaves at 8. Ugh, it'll be troublesome if he were—_

"Hey guys!" A fairly tall man with black hair and a well-defined beard, complete with a pointy goatee, approached the awaiting Nara family. It should also be noted that a lit cigarette was resting between his lips.

"Asuma!" Shikaku greeted the coach with a handshake. "We we're getting a bit worried that you would miss the flight."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got tied up on the 405 freeway… but hey, I'm here now," Asuma sheepishly smile, putting a hand behind his head. He then noticed his student with all of his bags. "Hey there, Shikamaru!" Shikamaru's coach patted the said teen on his shoulder. "Ready to begin your professional tennis career in the land _Down Under_?"

Despite the very busy environment they were In, Shikamaru stayed true to himself as he gave his usual lazy and unenthusiastic reply. "Sure… why not?"

"Well, you two better get going before you miss your flight," Yoshino remarked.

Before Shikamaru could give his own goodbyes to his parents, he was suddenly in the arms of his mom, whom was hugging him tightly.

"I'm going to miss you, son…" Yoshino said, trying to keep tears from spilling out. "Remember, we're proud of what you're doing! Don't ever forget that and please do your absolute best!" Before relinquishing the tight grip she had on her son, she added a few reminders that her son already knew. "Now, don't forget to be on your best behaviour out there sweetie! Don't stay out too late, don't be drinking alcohol, don't go out to places you don't know about, don't talk to weird looking strangers, don't—"

"Honey, honey, honey!" Shikaku cut in, his son thankful for such. "Don't worry so much about our son! Remember, he's a full grown man now."

Yoshino loosened up the hug before completely letting go of her son. "Well, I guess your right …"

An announcement from the PA caught the attention of all parties involved.

_Japan Airlines Flight 761 from Los Angeles to Brisbane will be leaving within fifteen minutes at Gate 15. All passengers on that flight must head to Gate 15 as soon as possible. Thank you. _

"Well, that's my flight," Shikamaru lazily told his parents, "We better go so that we can go through security."

"Okay then sweetie," Yoshino gave Shikamaru one more hug and a kiss on the cheek before letting go. "Bye son! Have fun!"

"Okay, bye mom," The lazy brunette kissed his mother back before giving his father a hug. "Bye dad."

"Bye son. And remember: you're the man now," Shikaku hugged his son back.

"Right…" Shikamaru replied before walking towards the departing gate with his coach. He looked back one more time and waved back.

_I know that I'll end up seeing them again if I qualify for the Australian Open… but then it feels so… so… troublesome leaving my home… for the first time on my own… _

Shikamaru continued his way towards the gates for his flight.

_Turning pro already feels so… troublesome… _

—

* * *

_**Please remember that this only a prologue! More action will absolutely follow in the next chapters!**_

—

* * *

_**Please don't forget to review =) Your feedback is important to keeping this story going!**_


	2. G'day from Surfer's Paradise, mate!

**Chapter 2: **G'day from Surfer's Paradise, mate!

* * *

_Oh my God, what a long ass flight… it's troublesome, really…_

Shikamaru restlessly mused in his comfy leather window seat in First Class for the last ten hours on his flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane. With such a lengthy time span, the brunette was able to entertain himself by watching all four Pierce Brosnan _James Bond _films on his personal LCD screen, listening to his iPod, playing _shogi_ and _go_ with Asuma, and doing what he does best: sleep.

Asuma noticed on the screen that their flight would reach Brisbane within an hour or two. Standing upright, he pulled out a small carrying case that normally contained his MacBook Pro notebook from the compartment above his seat. However, instead of pulling out his notebook, the coach pulled out what looks to be like a large yellow envelope. This earned a look of curiosity from the teenager sitting next to him.

"What's in the envelope?" Shikamaru inquired, letting out a rather exaggerating yawn as he slowly stretched out his arms.

"Well, I was going to give this to you when we land in Brisbane, but…" Asuma handed his student the yellow envelope. "I'd figure I might as well just give this to you now."

"Hmmm…" The Nara opened the envelope. He pulled out a few pieces of paper in what seemed to look like a letter. His eyes began to peruse the contents on the paper.

—

_**Mr. Shikamaru NARA (USA),**_

_On behalf of myself and the rest of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, we are very pleased and excited that you have chosen to join the tour and become a professional tennis player. We sincerely hope that the tour will enable to fulfil all of your goals in the world of tennis and become a very positive and respectable role model. _

_We hope that you will be able to attend the new player's welcoming orientation and party that will be held at the:_

_**Hotel Watermark. Gold Coast, Queensland, AUSTRALIA. **_

_**December 31, 2002. 8PM to 2AM. **_

_We hope that you achieve great success on the ATP tour! _

—

_Sincerely,_

_**Shizune Sabatini (ARG)**_

_**President of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour**_

_**Former Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour player **_

—

"Hmmm, since when was a woman the president of the men's tennis tour?" Shikamaru dully mused as he put the paper down. Sure, the lazy brunette had an issue when it came for women to handle so-called _manly man_ things. But deep down inside, the Nara knew that Shizune is indeed a well respectable tennis legend, winning a few French Open titles and a Wimbledon crown. Hell, she could've been at the status of the Legendary Sannins of Tennis if only she had won an Australian and US Open title.

"Heh, I still see that you still have that belief about men and women…" Asuma chuckled as he reclined his seat back to relax. "God, I could use a cigarette right now…"

_Ugh, again I just turned pro and already it's becoming so… so… troublesome… _

Shikamaru facial expression had annoyance written all over it after hearing his coach's remark. Exasperatingly sighing, he gazed to the outside window at the field of white clouds that dominated the sky. In what seemed to be like ocean down below forever, solid land came into view as the lazy brunette continued to look down.

_Looks like we're already here… Down Under… _

A little more than fifteen minutes after seeing land, the plane finally landed at Brisbane International Airport, thus ending Shikamaru's never-ending trans-Pacific flight.

_Finally… _

Managing to crack a little smile, Shikamaru stood upright for the first time ever since he needed to use the restroom some hours ago. Hearing his back and other joints crack from stretching his body, he sighed in relief as he prepared to follow his coach out of the airplane. However, just before he could make his way down the aisle—

"Oomph!"

"Yo, dude! Watch where you're going, fool!" Another teen his age with very short, messy, brunet spiky hair hollered out irately towards Shikamaru.

"Dude, my bad…" Shikamaru gave the boy with the charcoal coated eyes a glare in response, showing off that he wasn't going to be intimidated by some dude... although the other boy had a slight medium build of muscle, drenched in sun-kissed golden skin.

"_Sun-kissed golden skin"? Did I just think that? And what's with those markings under his eyes?_

Shikamaru mused at the strange reddish, upside down triangle markings that ran along the other dudes face, specifically under his eyes.

"What are you staring at, punk?" the teen with the strange marks toothily remarked, exposing his sharp canines as if he was being challenged.

"Kiba!" A girl that accompanied the boy right from behind scolded. She too had the strange markings on her face, but she had long, silky brunette hair. "Lil' bro… let's just go, already…"

"Grrr…" Kiba growled from the back of his throat, managing to glare at Shikamaru a bit longer before deciding to let the hostile situation go. "Alright Hana, let's go…" And with that, the two siblings went off towards the exit.

_Dude, what was that all about? Such a douche… _

—

* * *

_**G'DAY MATE! WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL AUSTRALIA: THE LAND DOWN UNDER! THE STATE OF QUEENSLAND AND THE CITY OF BRISBANE WELCOMES YOU!**_

Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he read the sign greeting travellers after going through the gate at Brisbane International Airport. Making his way through customs and all of the other necessary processes, Shikamaru and Asuma headed over to the car rental station.

"We're going to have to drive from Brisbane to the Gold Coast… so it's more travelling for us, unfortunately," Asuma stated while filling out all of the paperwork.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever…" Shikamaru indolently replied. "It's expected when becoming a pro tennis player, anyways…"

Waiting for his coach to finish the process of renting an automobile, the lazy brunette took a seat nearby and let his eyes to wander about. Aside from the various nationalities of people in the airport and all of the elaborate signs of shops, directions, and Aussie sayings, nothing really caught Shikamaru's attention. He instead decided to make use of the empty bench and lay down, hoping to get a quick snooze before he was going to need to travel once more.

"Oi, Shikamaru!" Asuma heeded out towards said dude. "Come on, let's go already."

"Huh… uh, what? Oh, yeah, let's go," Shikamaru snapped out of his sleepy state, facing his coach to reply.

Walking out of the terminal, Shikamaru and Asuma followed the signs that eventually led them to their rental car, being a Toyota Camry. As they were about to hop into the vehicle, Asuma was baffled when he got into the supposed driver's side.

"What the—" He gazed at the area to where the steering wheel and instruments should be. "But… but… but why is there no steering wheel on this side?"

"Did you check the right side? Or as we know it back in the States, _the passenger side_?" Shikamaru sarcastically replied as he put away all of his bags in the trunk.

Asuma fixed his gaze towards his right side. His eyes widened like saucers as all of the things a driver would need to operate a vehicle… were indeed on the right side.

"They drive on the left side of the road here in Australia," Shikamaru stated flatly as he shut the lid of the trunk shut and approached the left side of the car. "Since you're the one driving, I think you'll need to go to the other side of the car."

"Hahaha, right…" Asuma sheepishly chuckled.

The two settled into their rental car and drove out of the airport in no time.

"Heh, driving on the left side… this will be a fun experience…" Asuma said as he drove onto the main road.

Shikamaru just returned a scoff as he looked out the window. Inside, however, a fairly nervous Nara was about to be in a car with the driver that has never driven on the left side of the road before.

_Oh God, I just hope we make it to the Gold Coast ALIVE… it's troublesome, really…_

—

* * *

After a few close calls on the highway, Shikamaru and Asuma finally arrived at the Gold Coast. As they drove along Surfer's Paradise Boulevard under beautiful weather, an immense amount of modern high-rise apartments dominated their view as they looked towards the heavens. On the street level, lush palm trees line the median and sides with an eclectic amount of shops, restaurants, tourist attractions, entertainment venues, and an array of pedestrians soaking in the tropical climate the Gold Coast was known for. The exterior façade of the buildings had a bold colour scheme that reflected the tropical ambiance of the area. Its been even said that the Gold Coast was Australia's answer to Las Vegas as neon lights blended into the area. The nearby beaches were just as pristine with miles of white sand, clear and cerulean waters from the Pacific, and of course… surfers.

"Wow, this place looks beautiful," Asuma stated while gazing around from the car.

"I guess I'll have to agree with you as well…" Shikamaru dully remarked as his eyes were fixed upon a group of Aussie women in their bikini.

After a few more minutes of cruising on the boulevard, the two finally found the Hotel Watermark in their view. The twenty-story building, located on 3032 Surfers Paradise Blvd, was a fairly tall one with a white, topaz, and beige façade, matching the Gold Coast's scheme. A unique, shiny upward curving canopy-like structure greeted the two as they pulled up on the driveway of the hotel with a bellhop greeting them.

"Well, your parents certainly chose a very nice hotel," Asuma stated as they walked through the grand main entrance.

"Meh, I gu— oh, wow…" Instead of his usual lazy and sarcastic replies, Shikamaru was in awe as he steeped into the very elaborate and luxurious lobby. Marble flooring greeted the two at their feet as polished gold and silver chromes abound with the best in modern furnishings. The indoor tropical garden and stream that greeted the two made the hotel very exotic, yet very luxurious.

_Wow… mom and dad sure do know how to pick nice hotels…_

While Asuma took care of the check-in process, Shikamaru yet again began to let his eye wander around the luxurious ambience of the hotel. However, his vision captured a very familiar person… a very annoying person he first met on the airplane.

_Dude… he's here too?_

Shikamaru began to discreetly observe the dude with the facial tattoos from a distance, carrying what seemed to look like a green Prince tennis bag and a black Fila duffle bag. He also noted that the girl that was with him on the plane was present as well.

_Please don't tell me that dude—... Kiba was his name, right? Anyways, don't tell me he's also going to be on the tennis tour, along with staying here at the same hotel? _

And as if it were on cue, Kiba stared right back into Shikamaru's eyes. The Nara immediately turned around, hoping the eye contact wasn't long enough to be noticeable.

"Yo, Shikamaru! Come on, let's go to our rooms."

"Right…" Shikamaru gladly complied as he followed his coach to the elevators, trying to get as far away from Kiba as possible, not wanting to deal with any sort of unnecessary drama at the moment.

_This… is sure going to be interesting… _

—

* * *

"Alright Shikamaru. I'll let you settle into your room… Don't forget about the new player's party at 8pm tonight. I'll see you then," Asuma reminded his student before entering into his own room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like they say down here: _No worries_," Shikamaru lethargically replied as he entered into his own hotel room.

_Oh wow… talk about your basic hotel room…_

He was amazed at what kind of room his parents would book for his trip.

"This is more like a suite…" Shikamaru softly squeaked as he dropped all of his belongings onto the plush carpeting floor. Indeed the room was a suite; complete with a king sized bed, a well-equipped entertainment centre, a lounging area complete with sleek and plush furniture, and a kitchenette area. The colour scheme of the room made the ambience feel rather… dreamy and serene.

"Heh, it would seem so troublesome for mom and dad to get me this room… but I doubt it," Shikamaru chuckled as he sauntered towards the sliding glass doors that led to the terrace. When he opened it, cool sea breezes welcomingly caressed his skin as his dark chocolate eyes captured the beautiful and pristine view of the cerulean Pacific Ocean, in addition to Surfer's Paradise below. When he turned to his right, he was amazed that a luxury Jacuzzi spa had been included in the terrace.

Walking back into his room, Shikamaru decided to lay down onto the big and comfortable king sized bed.

_I'll take a catnap before tonight's party…_

And with that thought completed, Shikamaru delved into a state of sleep in the land… Down Under.

—

* * *

Shikamaru walked into the grand banquet room where the ATP and WTA Player's Welcoming Orientation was going to be held. Dressed in a nice black dress shirt complete with a green tie, black khakis, and black dress shoes, the lazy brunette was definitely dressed for the occasion. He even had the chance to try out his new cologne, _Pi_.

"Hmmmm, I think I put on a lil' too much…" Shikamaru said to himself as a waft of citrus continually penetrated his senses. He began to look around the banquet room for a placard that would bear his name and where he would be seated. He couldn't help but to take note of the environment he delved himself into.

The room wasn't exaggeratingly decorated, but the formality ambiance was still retained. Many circular tables were strewn about, complete with a tropical centrepiece and an Aussie Panama hat. Fancy chandeliers dominated the lightning ambience of the room. At the front of the room, two palm trees and two surfboards were set aside of the raised platform that contained a podium and the ATP and WTA's logos on the background.

After an inordinate amount of time of searching, Shikamaru finally found his placard that contained:

_**Shikamaru NARA (USA)**_

_**ATP Tour**_

"Looks like I'm seated here…" The lazy brunet took his seat at the table that wasn't too far from the podium. Since no one from his table arrived yet, the Nara decided to gander over on the other names that would join his table, starting from his right and working around counter-clockwise:

—

_**Ino YAMANAKA (USA)**_

_**WTA Tour**_

—

_**Choji AKIMICHI (USA)**_

_**ATP Tour**_

—

_**Kiba INUZUKA (USA)**_

_**ATP Tour**_

—

"Oh great… _he's_ sitting here?" Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows, thinking the last place he'd want to be is sitting at the same table with Kiba. "Someone just kill me now…" Rolling his eyes, the lazy brunet took a seat. However, right after, two people began to walk towards his table. One of them was a blonde girl who sported on a tight purple dress. Her hair partially covered her right facial extremity. She was fairly slender and had aqua-toned eyes. The other person next to her was a boy who had a fairly husky frame, dressed in a black suit. He had light brunet hair and had strange swirl markings on his chubby cheeks.

"Um, like, hi there!" The blonde girl said cheerfully with a _valley girl _tone of voice. "Will you be, um, like, sitting with us at this table?"

Shikamaru widened his eyes for a bit, taking in the tone of voice that the blonde had just spoken.

_Whoa! She sounds like she's from the Valley… _

"Uhhh… yes, I am…" Shikamaru stated, sounding very unsure if he's at the right table. "My name is Shikamaru Nara."

"Like, totally nice to meet you!" Ino offered her hand out for shaking. "My name is Ino Yamanaka."

"Pleasure…" Shikamaru nodded, reluctantly shaking her hand.

"My name is Choji Akimichi," the huskier boy offered his hand.

"Pleasure…" Shikamaru shook his hand.

When all three resumed their seats, another person made their way towards the table. When Shikamaru took a closer look at the person approaching the table, his eyes widened in discontent, being a certain someone he met on the plane after landing in Australia.

"You again?" Kiba stopped in his tracks, his face scrunched up as he began to ogle at a particular brunette at the table. "Like hell I'm going to sit at the same table with you!"

_I could say the same for you…_


End file.
